Continuation of the explanation of the hadith of Abu Hurayrah: The legitimacy of a servant seeking nearness to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) through righteous deeds, with an explanation of the two conditions of righteous deeds.

The Shaykh: This is as we explained there at that time, regarding the legitimacy of seeking nearness to Allah through righteous deeds. There, Ibn 'Umar reports from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): , in accordance with the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) in the Qur'an: . So in this hadith, the hadith of Abu Hurayrah adds to the hadith of Ibn 'Umar an explicit text regarding the legitimacy of a servant seeking nearness to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) with a righteous deed of his own.
And as you all know, if Allah wills, a deed is not righteous except with two conditions:
The first condition is that it be sincere for the face of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). If a Muslim stands, fasts, and prays at night while people are sleeping, but he does not intend the face of Allah with it, rather that it be said of him: "He is a worshipper, an ascetic, and a righteous person," then his deed is scattered dust, because he did not make it sincere for Allah (Mighty and Majestic). This is the first condition.
The second condition is that the deed in which one was sincere to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) must be prescribed, and it is not prescribed unless it has come in the Book and the Sunnah. There is much evidence for this, and among the comprehensive evidences for both conditions is the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic): . meaning: in accordance with the Book and the Sunnah. meaning: one does not intend by this righteous deed anything other than the Face of Allah (Mighty and Majestic); otherwise, one has associated partners with Allah in it, and in that case, it is rejected from him, and indeed, his face is struck with it.
So when one of them says, while they are in the cave: ; meaning, with the most sincere righteous deed you performed, and you felt that you performed it while desiring what is with Allah (Mighty and Majestic); so this hadith contains the legitimacy of seeking nearness to Allah through righteous deeds, and the previous verse contains the legitimacy of seeking nearness to Allah by one of the names of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He): , and here .
And there is another prescribed seeking of nearness established in the Book and the Sunnah, which is the Muslim seeking nearness through the supplication of his righteous brother, in whom he perceives righteousness and hopes that his supplication will be answered. This, too, is prescribed. And other than that, the forms of seeking nearness that became prevalent in the later generations due to their distance from the Book and the Sunnah in knowledge and practice have no basis whatsoever, and none of the mujtahid imams said anything about them. I have detailed the discussion of these prescribed forms of seeking nearness and others that are not prescribed in my private treatise on seeking nearness, so one may refer to it if one wishes to expand on the topic.